The Floating City: Escape
by SHSL Coder
Summary: The trial was lost. Inoue Arata and Aria Merrit were the final survivors after an insane, despair-filled trial. Arata was not the culprit, and yet, he lived. Did he want to live? Perhaps not. Perhaps death would've been the easier option. But, no, he still stands. It's time he walks. It's time he escapes. [One-shot based off the third trial of The Floating City roleplay]
1. Chapter 1

[GHRGHRHGH

THIS ISN'T TFWBB, IS IT?

Gah well I made a quick one-shot based off of the third trial from The Floating City roleplay, mostly made for members of said roleplay. It miiight continue? Maybe? Possibly? That depends on if I write anything within the next like... uh... at all. I dunno.

Think that's about it. Yay.]

* * *

**The Floating City: Escape**

* * *

...

...

It was silent.

Neither of us dared say a word.

It's not like there were any words to be said.

Everyone's dead.

Dead.

_'Everyone's dead.'_

We lost the trial, and now the only two survivors are myself, and Aria Merrit, the SHSL Artist.

_'Why did I vote for her... fuck, I... we... we lost...'_

My thoughts race back to when we all first got here. Hope. We still had hope. There were lights in our eyes. We would think, we would say, "we're gonna get out of here".

I promised. I promised no one would die. I promised to _everyone_ that we would _all_ escape.

And now they're all dead. Gone. Forever.

I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed.

My promises have been broken.

After I stopped shaking, and collected myself, I turn my head to Aria.

"...I'm not going with you," I mutter to the other survivor, "This is where we split up... perhaps we'll meet again, Aria. Goodbye."

"Hah," she laughs, echoing through the empty, quiet courtroom. "Good fucking riddance, Inoue."

"...Yeah." I nod. "Bye."

_'...'_

_'...I don't even care about the Inoues anymore...'_

_'...Monokabu. It's you...'_

_'...I'm taking you down. I will fucking destroy you.'_

I take a shaky deep breath, as I finally leave the courtroom. Everything is a blur... I remember entering the lift, alone... ascending, _alone._ I didn't look back... Aria must've came up at one point, but... at this point, I just... didn't care.

...Was I about to escape?

It didn't hit me until I found myself in the Grand Hall of the school.

_'...'_

_'The entrance...'_

I look down to my hand. I've been holding a button of sorts. I... don't even remember where I got it... I vaguely remember finding it in the trial room. My eyes dart upwards, to the heavy door in front of me. The entrance. The exit.

The escape.

_'...The outside... world... it's all out there...'_

_'The Inoues...'_

_'Monokabu... I'll return...'_

_'...'_

_'...I can... still...'_

My eyes are glazed over as I stand, staring at the door. Alone.

It's quiet... so quiet. It's not right. This whole school would always be buzzing with activity. All of us would be running around these halls, laughing with each other, crying with each other... we would never be alone... all I would need to do is leave my room, and, I'd immediately run into someone.

But now, it's just so _quiet._

I don't even know how long I stood there...

I just... stayed on my feet, staring...

...but my senses eventually come back to me.

_'What am I still doing here?'_

_'...Why am I still here?'_

_'I... shouldn't...'_

_'...It's time I leave. It's time I escape.'_

I grip the button in my hand tightly, with a newly found resolve, ready to _walk._ Am I walking forward? Probably not. I'm likely about to take a few steps back, instead. Either way, I don't care anymore. This is all over. It's time I put this behind me. And it's time I move on.

But where will moving on take me? I don't know. I really don't. I'm gonna become a new person. Not a necessarily _good_ one. I'm not going to be a hero. No, I was never a hero. I used to talk about hope, hell, I _used_ to hope. That bullshit is all over. I don't know what kind of childish fantasy I was believing in when I _hoped._ I've seen the light.

I can stop fighting.

I can stop making myself believe I can hope.

I can't hope.

If this means I must despair, if it means I must become worse than the Inoue family, then so be it.

Haha.

"...haha." I let out a chuckle, without realizing it.

My mouth stretches into a grin. I begin thinking of what I'm going to do. How I'm going to make this world pay. How I'm going to get my revenge.

It excites me.

_'It's time I escape.'_


	2. Chapter 2

[HAHA FUCK YOU I'M UPDATING THIS YAY REPLIES TO REVIEWS DOWN BELOW]

* * *

**The Floating City: Escape**

* * *

...I don't know how long it's been.

I've been sitting here for what felt like hours. It probably was...

The sun was lowering... it must've been.

I sit at the bottom of the stairs to Hope's Peak Academy, staring forward.

I finally did it. I've escaped, haven't I? I'm outside.

A chilly wind breezes through. I had forgotten what that feels like. My vest flaps around in the wind, and my fedora threatens to fall, but I make no move to fix either.

Things are starting to make sense... why did the police never come save us? Why didn't the Inoues come?

Because, from what I can tell, there's likely no more police, or Inoues.

The area has become what looks to be the remains of a battlefield. Destruction lays wherever you look, with broken buildings, windows, cars, you name it. Ash flies through the air, as the crackling of fire can be heard in the distance. The scent of said fire could probably be smelled from miles away.

For some reason, I don't think I can say I'm surprised.

I mean... I am, but...

Something like this was bound to happen eventually...

Coughing from the ash and dust, I tip my fedora over my eyes. The moon was beginning to rise; as the sky turned from a red sunset to a black night.

What do I do now? I never really made a plan, and I didn't consider what to do should _this_ be what I'm returning to. Do I just sit here...?

No, I've gotta get to shelter. I've been in this situation before. All I need is a roof over my head, perhaps a blanket, and I can look for food tomorrow. I've been homeless. This is nothing.

...

_'At least last time I wasn't alone.'_

I eventually get on my feet, and begin walking. It's quiet... all there is to be heard is fire, my own footsteps, and breath. Is there no one around...? This city is abandoned... I continue wandering around. Thanks to no one being around, I should be able to find an empty building... at the very least, one that doesn't collapse.

_'This works, I suppose...'_

I'm not walking for long before I find a sturdy enough building. It's some kind of office building, I think. The entrance is riddled with bulletholes, and the road around it is blackened. The windows are crashed in, with only shards sticking out of each. It would've went high up into the sky, I'd imagine, but anywhere past the fifth floor was... gone. Crumbled. Destroyed. Debris from the building lays on the road, large chunks of concrete, and glass shards. It wasn't in a very good shape, but, it was enough for the night...

I slowly push open the doors to the building. The inside wasn't much better. Again, bulletholes take each wall, and the ground is blackened with craters- the result of explosives, I'd imagine. The doors appeared to be glass at one point, according to the pile of it sitting on the floor. I decide to find a large, sharp piece, and pick it up. You never know when you'll need to defend yourself... I put it in my pocket.

I was in a lobby of sorts. There were a few elevators near the middle of the large floor, with some desks around. Where there _should_ have been people working, there were none. Puddles of blood stain almost the entire floor, with the stink of _death_ penetrating my nostrils. Of course, this was something I was accustomed to by now.

Wandering around the dark building, I eventually find the stairs. My favorite place to stay. Taking off my fedora, vest, and shoes, I lay down underneath the staircase. It was quite dirty, I realize, as the back of my white button-up was immediately stained with... well, _something._ At least it's only one night...

_'I'll find clothes tomorrow... and food... perhaps a working shower...'_

As I lay under the stairs, staring upwards, I start thinking about everything that's occurred the past few months. I was supposed to be joining a school... Hope's Peak Academy. I don't know how in all hell they found me, but they did, and I was accepted as the Super Highschool Level Gunslinger. I figured this was my chance, a chance to start a new life. A _normal_ life. Maybe, just maybe, I could be _normal._ I was never such, being a part of the privileged Inoue family. And, I eventually went on the run...

_"Arata. Meet me outside the gates. Don't bring your phone. Pack a bag, bring as much money and clothes as you can bring. This ends tonight. I'm so sorry. -A"_

_'...Ace...'_

_'...'_

Upon receiving the invitation, I was overjoyed. I walked up the stairs, entering a school for the first day in _years,_ and... suddenly passed out. I was kidnapped. I awoke in the school, to find the only others were my classmates. And... Monokabu...

_"You know why? You're all trapped here! For life!... Unless, of course, one of you wants to graduate... To which there is a certain rule."_

I was forced into some sort of sadistic _game._ We were all trapped in the school, with no outside contact, or anything. The only way to escape- or _graduate,_ as he called it, was to take another student's life. Murder. Kill. Monokabu gave us motives that we couldn't disagree to. Some of us needed to kill. Was it for the motives? Some weren't. Some just wanted out. Some just wanted to... kill. And it happened. Lord help us, it happened. There were deaths... murders... executions...

_"Now, my endangered classmates! Set your sights on the terrible culprit behind this case- Mistress Yuki's murderer was none other than I, Ritsu Mitsukawa!"_

_Ritsu's body was impaled, and in some places, detached, as she lays in a pit of spikes, her blood splashed everywhere._

The executions only grew worse in terms of gore...

_Something can be heard falling, and it hits the ground soon enough, exploding, and taking several buildings with it. More and more bombs fall, taking out building by building, until all that's left is Naomi's pride, the architect herself still standing, despite windows being broken, glass piercing her skin, and soot dirtying her._

And... the third trial... the final...

_Monokabu hit the raising button, sending everyone to their deaths, save for Inoue and Aria. The two were forced to watch as everyone died. Ayama was killed by Monokabus dressed as her favorite characters and actors from everything, being mauled to death. Jace was killed similarly, being stabbed, shot, strangled, you name it, by the "ghosts" of his victims. Chuu was stoned with golf balls. And finally, Ryu. Her execution was so thoroughly precise she was drowned, shot, mauled, literally everything seen before so that it all perfectly killed her at once._

I never expected anything of the sort to be what Monokabu had in mind when he said _execution._ Shock and surprise were definitely the two main things I felt, upon seeing Ritsu's execution.

_'She never deserved something like that.'_

_'...No one did.'_

As time went on, I coped better with them. And at the same time, I was coping _worse._ Things were getting _worse._ My hope was gone. I only ever wanted to see everyone die. I wanted everyone else to see what it was like to lose their _own_ hope. I wanted them to know my despair.

Is that a good thing?

...No, of course not.

_'I need to find my notepad...'_

During the game, I had kept a diary. It showed just how worse I've been getting, over time. On multiple occasions, I almost killed. I almost, actually _murdered._ For the motives. One was a house. A house away from society. I'd be alone, all by myself, away from the Inoues. It was appealing. I'm almost surprised I didn't kill...

I sigh, putting my hands behind my head. I decide I should probably get some rest. I didn't know what I was going to be doing the next day, I really didn't, but, I need to live on. Don't I? I can't die... I have too many things I need to do.

I've broken enough promises. It's time I fulfill a couple.

* * *

The two of us sit at a desk in the police department. We silently watch the dozens of television screens in front of us, showing the cameras installed around town.

"...I guess we finally found him, huh?" the other in the room, Logan White says to me. He twirls his aviators around in his hands, watching the screen showing Inoue Arata.

"Mm... looks like it." I reply, gravelly. I take a puff of my cigarette, before I hear the door to the room opening. I turn my head to it, seeing the two walking in. ...Well, one walking in.

"Hey," Nicholas White- Logan's older brother- greets, rolling up to us in his wheelchair. "So, where is he?"

Takeo Tanizaki follows Nicholas, not saying a word. He quietly watches the screens.

"Found 'im in some office buildin'," I reply, taking another puff. "Sleepin' under the stairs... don't seem like it's somethin' he ain't used to."

"...u-um, guys?" Takeo suddenly speaks up, "Can... I ask something?"

"Make it quick, Tanizaki." Logan replies.

"...w-we found him." he mutters, "So... do you need me? D-Do I still need to be around...?"

"Um, _yes._" Logan says, "You know things that can't get out, Tanizaki. I thought you knew this- _you're stuck with us._"

"Mm, give the kid a fuckin' break," I say, rolling my eyes. "Takeo, you're fine. Destroy the notebook. Get outta here, don't come back."

Nicholas sighs, "Yeah, don't worry, Takeo. You're fine now."

"...thank you." Takeo whispers, before running out of the room.

It's Logan's turn to sigh, "That was a bad fuckin' move..."

"It was a bad move to get 'im involved in the first place," I say, taking a puff, "Whatever, he's gone now. Let him have a happy life..."

"Happy?" Logan scoffs. "You realize that's not possible anymore... not with the world the way it is."

"Yeah, the Kumas are all over..." Nicholas adds in, "With them around, it won't be easy for a, _happy_ life..."

"I think all that kid needed for a happy life was to get out of this bullshit," I frown, "You know he never wanted to be a part of this, right?"

"Well, we needed him," Nicholas sighs, again, "The three of us alone couldn't have done it. He knows more about this... simulation shit..."

"I guess it's time to pull out." Logan mutters.

"Finally fuckin' done with this, eh?" I say, standing up. I walk over to the screen, watching Arata, as he sleeps.

"Looks like it, Kazuki," Nicholas says, rolling over to me. He offers a hand. "Thanks for your help. Couldn't have done it without you."

I stare at his hand. But, I don't shake it. I instead take a puff of my cigarette. "I don't want your thanks. I'm not happy 'bout this bullshit. We should just leave this guy the fuck alone, but, no, we just had ta find 'im, hm? Dammit..."

"What now?" I ask. "It was a big enough pain getting _inside_ the simulation. How the fuck do we get out?"

"...good question." Nicholas mutters.

"I told you that was a bad move." Logan facepalms, sighing. "Let's find Takeo. He knows how to get us out of here."

* * *

**OK IDK WHAT WAS UP WITH THIS LAST PART I JUST WANTED TO FINALLY REVEAL THINGS**

**BASICALLY ALL OF MY FUCKING RP CHARACTERS ARE CONNECTED THERE'S LIKE 5 OF THEM IN ONE CHAPTER ASDLFJKASDF**

**yeah this fic is gonna be filllled with OCs jussoyouknow**

**anyway replies to reviews:**

**DarkRubySparks: THANK YOU MADAME. andyaydespair**

**FirelightKnight: I'M KINDA SURPRISED I EVEN GOT IT OUT TBH. EVEN MORE SO THAT THERE'S A SECOND CHAPTER**

**CrimsonSkyTamer: srsly tho that was like my favorite trial in TFC GOOD WORK WITH THAT MURDER**

**Hakuna Hinata: ILY2BBY**

**YEAHH UH THANKS FOR READING AND ALL THAT BLAH BLAH BLAH**

**ALSO FUCK U WHY CAN'T I USE AN ARROW THE FUCK MAN**


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